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A pinched nerve can be a painful and annoying situation. It tends to happen when there is too much pressure applied to one of the nerves in your upper or lower back or in your neck. The pressure breaks off the nerves natural function and causes all sorts of issues such as tingling, pain, weakness, numbness and more. In most cases when it comes to a pinched nerve, most people can recover from it within a few days or weeks’ time by adding in a few of their own DIY treatments such as using a massager, using peppermint oil or using a heating pack. For others though, this pain just seems to get worse and worse no matter what they do at home or what amount of time they give it to go away. When this happens, it’s time to start looking into treatment for a pinched nerve. In the most severe cases, you might need back or spine surgery, but before we get into all that, let’s go over a few nonsurgical ways to treat a pinched nerve.

Medications and Injections

If you have to continue living life while the pinched nerve (hopefully) goes away, you might need a little help along the way. No one actually likes suggesting medication for pain, but if you are in pain and its disrupting your home or work schedule, it might be time to start looking into something to take internally. One of the better options is to look at nonsteroidal Anti-FL amatory Drugs or NSAIDs as they are most commonly called. These include things like Aleve, Advil, Motrin, etc. If worse comes to worse you can take a higher doze of ibuprofen if your doctor suggests to do so. Some people see significant differences when taking something like 600mg of ibuprofen. These medications can help relieve the pain and inflammation around the nerve. You could also consider cortisone shots, but buyer beware, these really hurt! They might really work for you, but they are not guaranteed by any means and the pain you feel while getting one just may not be up to par with what you can stand.

Non-surgical Spinal Decompression

Non-surgical Spinal Decompression uses a device that has an on board computer that will help control the pressure, force and angle of the disc distraction in your back. This helps to reduce the body’s natural tendency to resist any unnatural external force and helps to generate muscle spasms. Unlike injections or surgery, Non-surgical Spinal Decompression is considered a safe and very effective way to help get rid of pinched nerves. The decompression time tends to take 15-30 minutes where the practitioner will take the first 15 minutes to do the decompression and the next 15 for relaxation techniques such as massaging. Another option to consider if decompression therapy doesn’t sound like it would be a good fit for you is called Inversion Therapy. If you ever watched any 80s movies, you have seen these little contraptions before, but these days they have become safer and easier to use. These machines, in where you hang upside down or at a specific angle is a form of spinal decompression, but by way of mechanical traction. You hang upside down for anywhere between 5-15 minutes and your back essentially uses gravity to decompress the joints in your body; specifically your spine, knees, ankles, etc.

Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture is a treatment that has been used for over 2500 years by Chinese medical practitioners. Essentially, acupuncture is a good option for anything related to your body’s inner workings such as headaches, migraines, nausea and yes, even a pinched nerve. The neck is believed to be the gateway or the tunnel between your body and your head so it’s no wonder that for something like a pinched nerve, that it is quite common in the neck area. The neck, is also the area where the most tension and stress tend to gather. Acupuncture is a great way to alleviate these aches and pains by using very thin hair width needles as a treatment. The acupuncturist will use pressure points in your body to alleviate any pressure in specific areas where you are having any problems.

Chiropractic Treatment

Many of the Top chiropractors in Clifton have treatments for or are known for treating patients with pinched nerves. Usually when a nerve is “pinched” it means that a bony impingement, a herniated disc, tight muscles or a bulging disc are present. If you don’t want to get surgery, this is probably one of your better options to choose from. Many people claim that chiropractic treatments, which usually range over a few weeks’ time, can result in lessening the pain caused by a pinched nerve. Even more than that, while getting rid of the pain is great, but Chiropractors can also fix the situation at hand and get rid of the root of the problem – the pinched nerve itself, and not just cover up the pain with a proverbial Band-Aid. They can really get down to the root of the problem and help you figure out other treatment options or ways or preventing this from happening in the future. While stress does play a typical role in a pinched nerve, it also can have to do with obesity, posture, the way you sit during the day, bending over/down incorrectly, not exercising, or worse – exercising incorrectly. These are all situations that Top chiropractors in Clifton can help you fix.

According to the U. S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than five and a half million car accidents in the United States in 2013, and by all accounts, these accidents are up. Especially due to cell phone use and texting while driving, car accidents from minor fender benders to fatal occurrences in the U. S. are on the rise, with millions of victims sustaining injuries. One of the most common of these is injuries to the neck. Neck injuries can happen even in a minor car accident, and the pain that accompanies a neck injury can range from slight discomfort to debilitating and life altering. Below are the types of neck injuries that often accompany car accidents. Continue reading →

Chiropractic adjustments are used to align a patient’s spinal column when vertebrae are out of place or misaligned, which often can cause pain ranging from minor discomfort, to chronic pain that doesn’t seem to go away, to severe pain that limits lifestyle. Such spinal malalignment can also contribute to diseases of every system in the body. The spinal cord is connected to the nervous system, which is connected to every function of the human body. For this reason, a misaligned spine can cause more than just pain, but can be a contributing factor in disease as well. Continue reading →

When a nerve receives too much pressure, it is said to be “pinched.” Pain, numbness, tingling or weakness may be experienced when there is a pinched nerve. Many times, too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues, tendons, cartilage, bones or muscles. Pinched nerves most commonly occur in the lower back and are a result of pressure coming from a herniated disc. Individuals generally complain of a very intense pain that radiates out from the back and down the back of the leg. The wrist is also an area where a pinched nerve occurs and this can cause numbers or intense pain in the hand or fingers. A physician can sometimes use some conservative treatment options which will offer a patient some relief in as little as a few days, but for many individuals it takes weeks to find relief. Some individuals may require surgery in order to relieve the pain and pressure that is caused by a pinched nerve. Continue reading →

Sciatica is a term for a symptom rather than a condition. It is basically caused when the sciatic nerve becomes irritated; sciatica is the tingling or pain felt in the legs that is a result of the sciatic nerve being irritated. Most individuals state that the sensation of sciatica is located in the lower back and then radiates down through the back portions of the thigh and continues to run down to just below the knee. This pain or tingling feeling is felt where the sciatic nerve is located. The sciatic nerve is rooted in the lower portion of the back called the lumbar cord; it extends through the buttock so that it can send more nerve endings through the lower limb. Another term frequently used for sciatica is sciatic nerve pain. Continue reading →

One of the most common patient complaints is back pain and most of us will experience it at one time or another. The good thing is that about half of those who experience the discomfort of back pain will find relief in about 2 weeks; and nearly all will be relieved of the pain within 3 months time no matter what type of treatment options are pursued. Most of the time back pain is due to muscular strain which is resolved in time since muscles receive plenty of blood flow. A solid supply of blood will bring the needed proteins and nutrients to help healing occur. Back pain can be a minor irritation, or it can be very severe; for many it can be debilitating. For individuals under the age of 45, back pain is the leading cause of disability. It is important to see a physician if back pain is intense, limits your mobility, or cannot be controlled with over the counter medications. Continue reading →